Image data file systems and methods are operable to generate image data files for a plurality of images having a common image data array, and are operable to generate images from the image data files. An exemplary embodiment stores a common image data array into a master image data file, wherein the stored common image data array corresponds to an image data array of a first image of the plurality of images; and generates a soft link image data file based upon a second image of the plurality of images, wherein an image data array of the second image is the same as the common image data array, and wherein a soft link in the soft link image data file identifies a location of the stored common image data array.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method for generating image data for a plurality of images, wherein each image is defined by an image data array and a color palette, and wherein each of a plurality of elements of the image data array uniquely defines a location of a pixel in their respective image and a color location in the color palette of a desired color that defined the pixel, the method comprising: selecting at least a portion of a first image of the plurality of images, wherein the selected portion of the first image is defined by a portion of the image data array of the first image and a first color palette, wherein other ones of the plurality of images each have a corresponding portion of their respective image data array that is the same as the portion of the image data array of the first image, and wherein the color palette of each of the plurality of images are different; generating a master image data file, wherein the master image data file comprises: a common image data array, wherein the common image data array is the same as the portion of the image data array of the first image that corresponds to the selected portion of the first image, the color palette of the first image, and the color palettes of each of the other plurality of images; and storing the generated master image data file in a memory medium.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the master image data file further comprises: an image count that identifies a number of the plurality of images that have portions of their image data array in the master image data file.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the master image data file further comprises: a header corresponding to a header of the first image.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the header in the master image data file comprises: start location information defining a start location of the common image data array in the master image data file; and location information defining locations of each of the color palettes in the master image data file.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the storing further comprises: storing location information in the memory medium defining where the master image data file resides in the memory medium.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving a soft link image data file during a rendering of a selected one of the plurality of images, wherein the soft link image data file identifies the common image data array in the master image data file and one of the color palettes associated with the selected image.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the soft link image data file identifies a storage location of the master image data file, and wherein the soft link image data file identifies the color palette of the selected image by a location of the color palette in the master image data file.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: generating a soft link image data file associated with a selected one of the images of the plurality of images, wherein the soft link image data file includes image identification information that identifies the selected image, wherein the soft link image data file identifies the common image data array in the master image data file, and wherein the soft link image data file identifies the color palette of the selected image that resides in the master image data file.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: generating a plurality of soft link image data files, wherein each soft link image data file includes image identification information that identifies an associated one of the plurality of images, wherein each soft link image data file identifies the common image data array in the master image data file, and wherein each soft link image data file identifies the color palette of the associated image that resides in the master image data file.
10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising: communicating the master image data file and at least one of the plurality of soft link image data files to a remote device.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the memory medium is a first memory medium, wherein each soft link image data file identifies a location of the master image data file in the first memory medium, and further comprising: storing the master image data file and the plurality of soft link image data files in a second memory medium of the remote device, wherein a storage location of the master image data file is stored at a known storage location in the second memory media of the remote device; and updating each of the received plurality of soft link image data files to identify the known storage location of the master image data file that is stored in the second memory medium of the remote device.
12. A method for generating image data for a plurality of images, wherein each image is defined by an image data array and a color palette, and wherein each of a plurality of elements of the image data array uniquely defines a location of a pixel in their respective image and a color location in the color palette that defines a desired color of the pixel, the method comprising: selecting a first image from the plurality of images; storing in a master image data file the image data array of the first image; and storing each of the color palettes of the plurality of images into the master image data file, wherein a selected one of the images is rendered by retrieving the stored image data array and the color palette associated with the selected image.
13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising: storing a header into the master image data file, wherein the header identifies storage locations in the master image data file for the image data array and each of the color palettes relative to a start location of the master image data file.
14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the master image data file is stored at a known location of a memory medium, and further comprising: storing a header into the master image data file, wherein the header identifies storage locations in the master image data file for the image data array and each of the color palettes, and wherein the storage locations are referenced to the known storage location.
15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising: receiving a soft link image data file during a rendering of a selected one of the plurality of images, wherein the soft link image data file identifies the image data array in the master image data file and one of the color palettes associated with the selected image.
16. The method of claim 12 , further comprising: generating a soft link image data file associated with a selected one of the images of the plurality of images, wherein each soft link image data file includes image identification information that identifies the selected image, wherein each soft link image data file identifies the image data array in the master image data file, and wherein each soft link image data file identifies the color palette of the selected image that is in the master image data file.
17. The method of claim 12 , further comprising: communicating the master image data file and at least one of a plurality of soft link image data files to a remote device.
18. An image data generating system, comprising: an interface configured to receive a plurality of images, wherein each image is defined by an image data array and a color palette, and wherein each of a plurality of elements of the image data array uniquely defines a location of a pixel in their respective image and a color location in the color palette that defines a desired color of the pixel; and a processor system communicatively coupled to the memory, and operable to: select at least a portion of a first image of the plurality of images, wherein the selected portion of the first image is defined by a portion of the image data array of the first image and a first color palette, wherein other ones of the plurality of images each have a corresponding portion of their respective image data array that is the same as the portion of the image data array of the first image, and wherein the color palette of each of the plurality of images are different; generate a master image data file, wherein the master image data file comprises: a common image data array, wherein the common image data array is the same as the portion of the image data array of the first image that corresponds to the selected portion of the first image, the color palette of the first image, and the color palettes of each of the other plurality of images.
19. The image data generating system of claim 18 , further comprising: a memory configured to store the generated master image data file, and configured to store a soft link image data file, wherein the soft link image data file is configured to render a selected one of the images of the plurality of images, wherein the soft link image data file includes image identification information that identifies the selected image, wherein the soft link image data file identifies the common image data array in the master image data file, and wherein the soft link image data file identifies the color palette of the selected image that is in the master image data file.
20. The image data generating system of claim 18 , further comprising: an interface configured to couple the image data generating system to a remote device, wherein the master image data file and the soft link image data file are communicated from the image data generating system to the remote device via the interface.
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June 3, 2013
August 5, 2014
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